Gender symmetry, sexism, and intimate partner violence.
This study of a predominantly Hispanic sample of 92 male and 140 female college students examines both gender symmetry in intimate partner violence (IPV) and inconsistent relationships found in previous studies between sexist attitudes and IPV. Results indicate that although comparable numbers of men and women perpetrate and are victimized in their relationships with intimate partners, the path models suggest that women's violence tends to be in reaction to male violence, whereas men tend to initiate violence and then their partners respond with violence. Benevolent sexism was shown to have a protective effect against men's violence toward partners. Findings highlight the importance of studying women's violence not only in the context of men's violence but also within a broader sociocultural context.
Allen
Christopher T
CT
Department of Psychology, Barnwell College, Box 41, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA. allenct@mailbox.sc.edu
Swan
Suzanne C
SC
Raghavan
Chitra
C
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006306:Health Surveys; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011287:Prejudice; D012307:Risk Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014754:Violence / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult